Down
by Jennifer Ryu'kage
Summary: A songfic to the Stroke 9 song of the same name, featuring, Auron, Braska and Ject on their summoner's journey. Yaoi themes, read at your own discretion.


Frozen fingers on

My skin

Auron let out a soft yelp as chilled fingers entwined themselves in his hair. Sleepy blue eyes gazed over at the warrior-monk, Auron carefully brushed a strand of silken-soft blue hair from the man's face.

"HIC!"

Guilty hands

Clutching gin

Damn Jecht. The drunkard always seemed to ruin the moment! 

Braska sat upright and pried the man's fingers from around Auron's jug.

"Jecht... you promised you wouldn't drink tonight. You could have at least bought your own alcohol," the summoner chided gently. 

"HIC! Y'were bishy talkin' with him. Shhhhouldn'a maddered... didn' think y'cared shince y'were talkin t'him," Jecht slurred, sneering at the younger guardian.

Your tin, thin eyes

Can't see within

"Damn you!!!" Auron snarled, scrambling to his feet and shoving Jecht as hard as he could. "You...! You're always breaking promises to Braska-sama, you filthy-"

The older man stumbled but quickly grew fighiting-drunk and shoved himself up against Auron, chest-to-chest and face-to-face, glaring him down with unfocused, bloodshot eyes.

Soul to soul and shin to shin we burn

"Calm down, Jecht. Auron, remember that he is my guardian too." Braska pulled the two glaring men away from each other.

And the silence won't subside

They stood looking at each other, intense hatred written on both of their faces, deadly silent. Braska broke the angry moment by tackling both of them and pulling them to the ground.

As I crawl

To your scaly side

He snuggled into the space between the two men and pulled a blanket over them all. Auron huffily grabbed a second blanket so he wouldn't have to share with Jecht. Braska-sama was one thing, but Jecht was another.

"There! Much better!" Braska beamed.

Your eyes could never hide

My eyes, and all their pride...

Even in the poor light, Braska and Auron could see the warring expressions of pride and shame written on Jecht's face. Shame won.

"I... I'll shtop tonight... B-braska, 'm shorry..."

My shoulder to your face is so warm

Braska turned away from Auron suddenly- 

__

hate him hate him WHY DID YOU HAVE TO SHOW UP? everything was fine before you ruined it!

-and hugged the older guardian, resting his face on Jecht's shoulder.

"It's alright, Jecht. I believe you. I trust you. You are my guardian now, remember? I must trust you. If I don't... we won't be able to get the Final Aeon."

Dim light from moon outlines our form

Pale moonlight illuminated the scene, illuminated Auron's clenched fists, illuminated Auron's jealous face, illuminated Jecht's relief. Auron, unable to contain himself, reached out to his summoner and touched his bare shoulder ever-so-gently.

You're sinewy and shiftless and so forlorn

"Braska-sama! You're all knotted up!! What's wrong??!" Auron carefully massaged the tightness out of Braska's neck and shoulder muscles, delighting in the annoyed look Jecht gave him as Braska sighed in contentment.

Between here and there and everyone you're torn...

"I was just thinking... about Yuna. I wonder... if Kimahri is taking good care of her... if she knows yet..."

Carving out a piece for me saving three for you

Squeeze me tight and that's all

"Y'mean yer kid? 'M sure she'sh fine," Jecht slurred, knocking Auron away and hugging Braska close again. Auron frowned.

Carving out a piece for me, saving three for you

Squeeze me tight and that's all!

"Kimahri won't let her get into anything she can't handle," Auron re-assured him.

"Mhmm," Braska mumbled, attention momentarily taken up by a kiss he shared with Jecht. Auron trembled in rage, rolling over and trying to ignore them, waiting for his turn to be listened to.

Waiting... waiting for you...

Seconds turned into minutes, and Auron could tell they weren't just kissing any more. Knowing he wasn't wanted, he stood and left Braska alone for the first time in his life.

Waiting.... waiting for you...

Feeling ill and somewhat confused, Auron walked until he could no longer hear the other two men, then a few more yards just in case, and finally sat down, resting his back against a tree trunk. Not even out of Kilikia, and his life was hell. Of course, they had started at Bevelle, where they-no. Where Braska had found Jecht, drunk off of his ass and raving like a lunatic about Zanarkand as it had been a thousand years ago, and decided he might be useful on his journey as a summoner. Auron still didn't know what the hell Braska had been thinking... he preferred to think perhaps it was just the older man's looks. He looked nothing like Yuna's mother, at least to Auron, but maybe there was something he didn't see. Not that he even cared what Braska decided to do with his love life; Auron was Braska's guardian, not his mother. 

He knew in his heart that they were going to their deaths. There was a reason that the Temples had statues of summoners that had fought Sin. They were all dead. They died against Sin. A journey of months... just to die. To save Spira for a few years. Auron knew there must be some way around the death... there had to be... there had to be soemthing besides a never-ending spiral of pain and death and suffering. He would find that way. He had to. Braska couldn't die. But he knew deep inside that it would happen anyway. 

The wind carried soft, happy exclamations to Auron's ears. Apparently he hadn't walked far enough, he could understand names. One name. Jecht. Jecht, who stole away his master, and his sake, and his patience, and every other damned thing he ever loved or valued! He slipped into a hate filled daze and was soon asleep.

"Auron."

To call out my name

"Auron, wake up. You'll catch a cold."

Speak to me

Auron ignored Braska's soft voice and continued to feign sleep. A gentle touch on his face made him jump, but he ignored it and kept up his charade.

"I know you're awake, Auron. Please open your eyes." Auron grudgingly did as Braska bade, unable to keep his expression neutral. Braska sat down next to him and took Auron's hands in his own. "I'm sorry, Auron. I know Jecht upsets you. Just... try to understand... I know what we journey to-"

"Braska-sama!Don't say that, I'm not going to let you die!!"

And say that it's alright to be on the wrong track

"-I'm ready for it, if it will save Spira. It's what we have to do. Let's... let's at least try to get along. Just try, Auron... try for me. It would make me happy if you two could become friends. We don't know the end to our story yet, Auron. Maybe everything will come out alright. We'll go and see Jecht's Zanarkand, and come back, and everything will be alright."

Call out my name

Speak to me

And say that it's alright to be on the wrong track

"Let's not worry, okay? Auron... when our journey is over, Jecht will stay in Zanarkand with his wife, and it will be just you and me."

"W-wha...?" Auron stammered as Braska leaned in and gently kissed him.

"You're jealous, aren't you?" Auron blinked, wide-eyed at Braska's sudden loving gesture. He hadn't expected that. He hadn't exactly wanted it either. But oh, it felt so different, in a good way... it scrambled his brain.

"H-he always... he... I... he stole you from me!!"

"Oh, Auron..." Braska sighed. "I have been neglecting you, haven't I?"

"It isn't your fault, Braska-sama! He-"

Braska touched a finger to Auron's lips.

"Forget about him for now."

"But I can't-"

"Then perhaps I'll make you." The summoner growled playfully and tackled Auron, pinning him. 

"B-braska-sama!!! What are you doing?!!" he exclaimed, struggling against his captor.

"Hmm? What do you think I'm doing?" Auron blushed hotly and struggled harder as Braska smiled down at him and stole Auron's blood-red robes away from him, leaving him in his armor, pants and boots. Auron was so shocked that he couldn't get a coherent sentence out, he stopped struggling and lay there trembling.

"B-but... You and Jecht, you... I don't want... to intrude," he finished lamely.

"You aren't."

"T-there's tree roots all over, you'll hurt yourself-"

"Shh... it's alright. Everything will be alright," Braska whispered, carefully arranging his body against Auron's and tempting the warrior with quick kisses. "Just relax... I promise, the last thing I'll make you think of is how stressed you've been since Jecht got here..."

***

There's a warm breeze in the city tonight...

Soft light makes every sad sight seem alright

Braska gazed sadly at Auron's exhausted, panting face. He hugged him closer, wrapping their sweat-soaked bodies in a warm blanket he had stolen from underneath Jecht. 

And I'm spinning around,

And we're holding tight

Auron's head was spinning. Pleasure, discomfort, slight pain, confusion- it was almost too much. But Braska was there now, he was always there... Auron had just not seen it until now.

"I... I never knew..." he whispered.

Soul to soul and face to face we turn...

Waiting... waiting for you...

Waiting... waiting for you...

To call out my name-

"Oh, Auron..."

Speak to me-

"How could you not know?"

And say that it's alright to be on the wrong track...

To call out my name

Speak to me,

And say that it's alright to be on the wrong track...

"I love you, Auron."

"I... I love you too, Braska-sama..."

Call out my name!

Speak to me!

And say that it's alright to be on the wrong track!

~*Fin*~

Author's notes: Woo hoo, second songfic! This one isn't exactly my favorite that I've written, but its okay. Hope you like yaoi, everyone! ^_^ Characters are copyrighted by Squaresoft, song lyrics belong to Stroke 9. I claim ownership only to the words, ideas, themes and form of the fic. Don't steal my ideas I have a Bishonen Assassin Squadron that'll come get you all MUAHAHAHAHA! 

~Jennifer


End file.
